When your opponent has dipped his gloves in glue and glass and has kicked you in the nuts, most people would agree that if you depart somewhat from the Queensbury rules the other side has no right to complain about your ethics.

Far too many ordinary people are allowing sqeptics - quasi-skeptics - to do their thinking for them. Some things are really too horrible to contemplate. How easy it is to accept any seemingly plausible snippet from a seemingly plausible source if it explains the nasty thing away as an illusion or hoax.

A truly skeptical practitioner of law or science looks at all the evidence and then tries very hard to weigh all that evidence critically but fairly. The true skeptic does not allow personal bias to influence the outcome of the analysis.

Denial is a psychological defense against personally unacceptable truths. If an individual can't personally accept the damage we are doing to our planet, fine. But when powerful vested interests seek to leverage psychological denial as a weapon against scientists, against democracy and against the public interest then it is the duty of every rational human being to oppose them. When I use the term 'denialist' I mean to refer to anybody who is using propaganda to shill for corporate interests. I am ready with many others to stand up to the propagandist shills and to say, with a host of other climate protection activists:

The Heartland Institute's president, Joseph Bast, is a hypocriticalblustering bully. Instead of apologizing to the public for spreading disinformation about climate science and for providing a repository for the garbage spouted by "experts" who are much like that proven liarMonckton, he is instead threatening to sue just about everyone on the internet who has even mentioned denialgate.

Speaking of spreading disinformation and providing a repository for "experts", maybe the GWPF - which shares many "experts" with the Heartless Institute - could also issue a public apology for being a propaganda mill? I don't think anyone should hold their breath.